Operating a business in Kharkiv, Ukraine, was for the most part peaceful and steady. That is until February  24, 2022, when the city was attacked by the Russian military at the start of what would become a years-long war. For Abris Art, a bead embroidery and cross-stitch design company based in Kharkiv, their world turned upside-down overnight. Their journey from 2022 to now is extraordinary.

A Source for Quality Embroidery Products

Abris Art was founded in 2008 by Vadym Gryshyn, his brother Pylyp, and their mother Valentyna. Credit goes to their mother for the idea that sparked the successful offshoot from their existing digital printing business, a company called FG Group that they started in 2005.

Valentyna had been an embroiderer, particularly bead embroidery, for many years. Instead of using the typical base fabric that came with most embroidery kits, she liked to use an unconventional type of material: the canvas artists use for painting. She much preferred this because of the texture of the canvas, the way the finished piece looks like a real painting, and the sturdiness of the material – it holds up well under the weight of the beads.

And lucky for Valentyna, her sons were in the printing business. She asked them to print the embroidery designs for her on the canvas. Valentyna was so sure other needlework fans would love the canvas that she convinced her sons to shop the idea around to existing embroidery kit manufacturers. But to no avail – their proposal was rejected by each and every one.

With determination and ingenuity, they decided to do it themselves, and in 2008, Abris Art began designing and printing bead embroidery kits. “Abris” means a contour or outline; in the context of Abris Art, the beads emphasize the main contours of the image to highlight, outline, and bring definition to each piece of needlework.

They started out with two to three designs, then 10, then increased to 20, all packed and mailed from their garage. However, after exhibiting at trade shows and international exhibitions, it became clear that while people loved how the finished bead embroidery pieces looked, many thought it looked too difficult to master. Cross stitch, a more well-known and easily mastered method of needlework, was clearly the favored format.

Abris Art made the strategic decision to follow market demand for cross-stitch, and it paid off. “We decided that cross stitch could be the bridge between our ideas with bead embroidery and international markets where cross stitch is the common technique,” says Vadym. Now, Abris Art offers more than 3,000 embroidery and cross-stitch designs, ships to 34 countries, and has 22 employees. After the success of Abris Art, the family’s old printing business was completely absorbed by the new company in 2010.

Most of their international wholesale clients purchased the cross-stitch kits initially, but just as the founders of Abris had hoped, sales of bead embroidery gradually increased. In fact, some companies, like U.S.-based Herrschners and The Stitchery Catalog, now order more bead embroidery kits from Abris than cross-stitch kits.

According the Vadym, “Although bead embroidery looks much more complicated than cross stitch, bead embroidery is actually easier and faster because you only use one thread, you don’t have to change colors, and there is no cross.” As an added feature, Abris kits come with access to a QR code that unlocks step-by-step videos in eight languages.

“We want a crafter in Tokyo to feel the same confidence as someone in Toronto,” Vadym says.

February 2022

The city of Kharkiv, where Abris Art was based, was one of the first cities to come under fire by the Russian military in 2022, along with Kyiv and Kherson. As a result, Abris had no access to its manufacturing facility for months. Once they were finally allowed into the building, they were notified that they only had 3 days to pack up their machinery and raw materials and vacate the premises. A week later, the factory was destroyed in an almost direct strike.

Because of the destruction and danger of more strikes, they were forced to move out of Kharkiv. “We needed to go as far west as possible,” said Vadym. They stayed with relatives in Mukachevo, a 17-hour drive from Kharkiv. A peaceful region of Ukraine, Mukachevo sits behind the Carpathian Mountain range near the border with Romania and Slovakia.  They found a facility close by to use as their factory, and after renovations to the space, they started up Abris Art once again. With very little housing available because of the influx of refugees from the east, many of their employees lived in the factory building for several months.

With the upheaval and destruction of their lives, it would be no surprise if the owners of Abris Art decided to close the business. But that wasn’t an option, Vadym explains.

“When the war started, we were only focused on saving our families. But life goes on, and we need to do something to earn money for ourselves, for our employees, for our country. The money is the fuel of the war as well; our success would help Ukraine’s economy, for the people of the country.”

Restarting the business wasn’t without obstacles. At the time, shipping carriers like FedEx and UPS stopped operations in many parts of Ukraine. Also, the demand for embroidery kits in Ukraine decreased dramatically. Abris Art knew that ramping up their export business across Europe and beyond was the key to survival.

After opening a sales and distribution center in Warsaw, Poland, in late 2022, Abris Art was able to conduct business within the European Union, opening up an enormous market for their kits. Currently, 80% of their revenue comes from exports, with Europe making up their largest customer base. Sales in the U.S. are steadily growing, and Abris is currently seeking more U.S. distribution partners. In addition to Europe and the U.S., they also sell their kits to dozens of countries worldwide, including Japan, Australia, and China.

Vadym feels that the imminent tariffs on exports to the U.S. may not be all bad. The 10% tariffs on Abris will definitely add additional pressure on their profit margins; however, they may be better able to compete with China, where tariffs are scheduled to reach 50%. China has always been the low-cost supplier of needlework kits, yet now Abris Art may be an attractive alternative.

Abris Art Now

Keeping all the kit design and manufacturing functions in Ukraine has always been very important to the company, and they’ve successfully resumed their production far from the fighting in the east. They continue to source high-quality components from across Europe: Preciosa beads from the Czech Republic, DMC floss from France, and Zweigart fabric from Germany. They’ve also expanded their product line to include craft kits for string art and beaded items like brooches, frames, and bookmarks.

By all accounts, Abris Art has weathered the storm and is flourishing. Sales are strong, exports are growing and the demand for their kits is at an all-time high. At a terribly difficult time for Ukraine, Abris Art is doing what they do best to support their families as well as their country. In three short years, they’ve been able to rebuild their company from the ground up with determination, courage, and business acumen. A clear indication that they will continue to flourish for years to come and provide beautiful designs for makers the world over.